Sacrifice for job security

How much would you be willing to give up for the good of your law firm or office? I heard on the news The Indianapolis Star is requiring all employees – even the higher-ups – to take one week off without pay in the first quarter. The order is in response to the economy and the hard hit newspapers have been taking over the years thanks to the Internet.

A forced unpaid vacation is a pretty bold step in an attempt to save money. On the one hand, I’d be happy that it was only a week off unpaid as opposed to being fired. On the other hand, I’d be bothered that I was told I had to take vacation and lose out on that week of pay.

Companies across the board are seeking ways to slash the bottom line and keep businesses going, but how much are employees willing to sacrifice? Would you accept a pay cut, no bonus, less paid vacation or slashed benefits in turn for job security? It may not come to this in law firms because the nature of their business is completely different than newspapers. It may already be happening in some firms and we just don’t know about it.

In this economy, it seems like we hear about layoffs in all professions across the board on a daily basis, and I wonder what employees would be willing to do to keep their job.